1. Field of the Invention
Connector Assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Oil well bore holes that extent downwardly from the ground surface to the producing zone are not necessarily straight, but may be crooked, and have a number of dogleg sections therein. Each of such bore holes has a well head at the ground surface that supports a polished rod that is reciprocated by conventional power means. A tubing string depends from the well head and has a number of angularly disposed sections therein that conform generally to the dogleg sections of casing that will normally be present in the bore hole.
A pump is in communication with the lower end of the tubing string and has a piston rod extending upwardly therefrom, which piston rod when reciprocated causes fluid from the formation to be discharged upwardly in the tubing string.
The polished rod of each well head is connected by a sequence of strings of sucker rod to the piston rod of the pump associated with that particular tubing string. The strings of sucker rod are angularly disposed relative to one another. When the strings of sucker rod are stressed longitudinally in actuating the piston rod of the pump, the strings of sucker rod have been found to be subject to substantial twisting. Also, when the angulation of the doglegs in a tubing string are substantial, it is difficult to lower a sucker rod supported elongate pump with an upwardly extending piston rod downwardly through the tubing string to a position there below, and it is also difficult to reverse the operation by drawing the pump upwardly through the tubing strings for repairs and maintenance.
A major object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly that so removably joins adjacently disposed but longitudinally spaced end portions of upper and lower strings of sucker rod that are angularly disposed to one another that substantial longitudinal stresses may be transmitted from one sucker rod to the other without the sucker rod being subjected to appreciable torsional twisting.
Yet another object of the present invention is to supply a number of the connector assemblies that connect a sequence of sucker rod strings that extend downwardly in a tubing string of an oil well, which tubing string has a number of doglegged sections therein, with the connector assemblies cooperating with the sucker rod strings to transmit longitudinal forces from a polished rod in the well head of the bore hole in which the tubing string is disposed to the piston rod of a pump located at the lower end of the tubing string, and the connector assemblies permitting the strings of sucker rod and pump to be lowered downwardly through the doglegged tubing without difficulty, as well as to permit the tubing strings and pump to be drawn upwardly through the doglegged tubing to permit maintenance work to be performed on the pump.
Another object of the invention is to provide a number of connector assemblies that join a sequence of angularly disposed strings of sucker rod that extend between the polished rod of a well head and a piston rod of a pump located at the lower end of the tubing string, with the connector assemblies permitting reciprocating movement of the strings of sucker rod, without them twisting to the extent that the polished rod and the cable secured to the upper end of the polished rod have a torsional twist imparted thereto.
A further object of the invention is to supply a connector assembly that includes upper and lower boxes that are removably connected to adjacent longitudinally spaced end portion of upper and lower strings of sucker rod that are angularly disposed relative to one another, with the connector assembly transmitting longitudinal forces from one sucker rod string to the other, and the longitudinal spacing between the upper and lower boxes capable of being adjusted by a simple manual operation prior to the upper string of sucker rod being secured to the upper box of the assembly.
Another object of the invention is to supply a connector assembly that includes an upper and lower box, with the lower box pivotally supporting a ball within the confines thereof to allow pivotal movement between the upper and lower boxes, and entry of foreign material into the portion of the lower box in which the ball is situated being substantially eliminated by a resilient ring disposes between the upper extremity of the lower box and the lower extremity of the upper box, with the resilient ring encircling a longitudinally adjustable connector that extends between the upper and lower boxes.